Tetradrachm of Seleucus I

Tetradrachm of Seleucus I

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Early Seleucid coinage carried visual messages intended to support the primacy and power of the Seleucid dynasty and the specific mythology of the reigning king. On this silver tetradrachm, the head of Zeus stands in for a portrait of Seleucus I, the image of Nike symbolizes his victories, and elephants represent his military might. The anchor in the upper right field was also used by Seleucus I and his successors, but its meaning is unclear.

Greek and Roman Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Tetradrachm of Seleucus ITetradrachm of Seleucus ITetradrachm of Seleucus ITetradrachm of Seleucus ITetradrachm of Seleucus I

The Museum's collection of Greek and Roman art comprises more than thirty thousand works ranging in date from the Neolithic period (ca. 4500 B.C.) to the time of the Roman emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in A.D. 312. It includes the art of many cultures and is among the most comprehensive in North America. The geographic regions represented are Greece and Italy, but not as delimited by modern political frontiers: Greek colonies were established around the Mediterranean basin and on the shores of the Black Sea, and Cyprus became increasingly Hellenized. For Roman art, the geographical limits coincide with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The department also exhibits the art of prehistoric Greece (Helladic, Cycladic, and Minoan) and pre-Roman art of Italic peoples, notably the Etruscans.